All In by Aleah Barley Read Free Book Online Page A

of truce—but she wasn’t his sidekick. She wasn’t about to make things easy for him. She sipped her coffee and watched the people moving around the poker room.
    Men. Women. Old. Young. Most of them looked refreshed. Some looked anxious. A few of the players just looked hungover.
    She turned to glance at Ryan, trying to gauge his comfort level.
    Mr. Sexy Agent Dude was dressed in tight blue jeans, a combed cotton T-shirt, and a smile that sent a burst of energy shooting down her spine. How the hell did he do that? Was it some kind of secret voodoo mystery sauce?
    Probably not. She really should have paid more attention in biology.
    “You change your mind? You going to tell me why the FBI’s interested in a poker tournament?” she asked.
    “Jesus, Daisy—” He glanced around, checking to see if anyone had heard them. “No. I’m not.”
    “I can be helpful.” She was smart and capable. She probably knew more about the mathematics of poker than anyone else in the room. If the FBI was going to investigate something at the tournament, then the least she could do was help. It was her civic duty.
    She’d thought about it a lot the night before while she’d been eating room-service tortellini and trying not to think about Ryan on the other side of the wall.
    Ryan naked.
    Ryan sleeping.
    Ryan in the shower.
    She shook her head to dispel the image of firm abs dripping water. What she wouldn’t give to lick them…no. She took a deep breath. She had to be firm. He may be an ooey-gooey treat wrapped in secret voodoo mystery sauce, but she was on a diet. No more fantasizing. No more lusting.
    Definitely no more kissing.
    “I’m not an idiot,” she said.
    “Yeah, I read your CV.”
    “And?”
    Sex-On-Legs rolled his eyes. “You’re not an idiot.”
    “So, you’ll tell me?”
    “Not a chance.”
    “Then you can go to hell.” Daisy stood up and downed the last of her coffee, crushing the Styrofoam under her fingers. She started to march across the floor. Away from Ryan.
    Then she saw Bullet.
    Hell . The old man was wearing a tailored suit and a granite smile that said: “Don’t fuck with me.” There was a group of players surrounding him—all wanting to get in good with the casino’s manager—but that didn’t stop him from raising an eyebrow in Daisy’s direction.
    He’d obviously seen her arguing with Ryan and wanted to know what it was all about. If she kept walking, then he’d find her and ask questions. He’d want to know if Ryan had upset her. He’d want to get out his bat.
    The idiot was going to get himself arrested.
    She couldn’t let that happen.
    Daisy spun around and collided with a wall of hard muscle. Ryan. He smelled so good, so masculine. Her mouth watered.
    “I really don’t want to do this,” she told him as her fingers curled into his shirt. Then she pushed herself up onto her tip-toes and kissed him harder than she’d ever kissed any other man in her life.
    The warmth. The heat. The taste which was like donuts, sugar, and the best mornings of Daisy’s life.
    Fireworks exploded across her skin and she melted a little inside. This was what she’d been missing all those years with all those other guys.
    Secret voodoo mystery sauce.
    “Just a chemical reaction,” she murmured against his mouth. “Nothing to get excited about. Just outside stimuli.”
    Strong fingers skimmed across the small of her back, drawing her in tight against Ryan’s body. His erection ground into her hip and she gasped in recognition. Apparently, she wasn’t the only one affected by outside stimuli.
    His other hand cupped her chin and the rough callus of his thumb rubbed against her cheek. His eyes were so damn warm, so full of affection and excitement—
    “Morning, doll,” Bullet interrupted.
    Hell . Daisy wrenched away from Ryan. “Bullet.” She stared down at the floor, desperate to disappear into the patterned carpet.
    “You get something to eat this morning?” Bullet asked.
    “I don’t do